Up to 5% of all facial nerve palsies are due to trauma, with ipsilateral Bell's palsy
the most common injury. Facial nerve injury is often due to fracture of the temporal
bone with resultant compression of the nerve or complete transection. Less commonly,
mandibular fractures can present with a concomitant facial nerve injury. In cases
where the nerve injury is incomplete or delayed, prognosis is excellent. When the
facial nerve is completely transected, prompt surgical intervention is required for
the best cosmetic outcome. Here we present a case of a delayed presentation of an
ipsilateral facial nerve injury and discuss the diagnostic and management options.
To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Subscribe to The American Journal of Emergency Medicine
Already a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
References
- Facial nerve grading system.Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1985; 93: 146-147
- Bilateral facial paralysis.Am J Otol. 1986; 7: 99-103
- Post-traumatic bilateral facial palsy: a case report and literature review.Brain Inj. 2004; 18: 315-320
- Bilateral simultaneous facial nerve palsy.J Laryngol Otol. 2002; 116: 46-48
- Simultaneous bilateral facial palsy as a result of isolated mandibular fractures.Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2006; 35: 1156-1159
- Facial nerve paralysis secondary to mandibular fracture.Laryngoscope. 1980; 90: 1777-1785
- Management of facial paralysis in temporal bone fractures: a prospective study analyzing 11 operated fractures.Am J Otolaryngol. 2005; 26: 230-238
- A comparison of surgical techniques used in dynamic reanimation of the paralyzed face.Otol. Neurotol. 2005; 26: 284-291
- Management of facial paralysis resulting from temporal bone fractures: our experience in 115 cases.Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2001; 125: 77-84
Article Info
Publication History
Accepted:
July 21,
2007
Received:
July 6,
2007
Identification
Copyright
© 2008 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.